Between the Silence
by EmptySurface
Summary: Snippets that didn't make it into Hear the Silence. Prompts from tumblr, generally from other people's POV
1. Chapter 1

**Someone mentioned that they'd like to see these snippets on here, so here they are! ^^**

 **.**

"So you both agree?" Souma asked shortly, feeling far too tired and sore to play at being polite.

"I don't have any complaints," Kouki drawled, leaning back in his seat, arms crossed comfortably over his chest.

"This incident," Takuma said, tapping the file on the table in front of them. He fixed first Souma and then Kouki with a sharp, intent look. "What can you tell me about it?"

Souma felt like he didn't particularly _need_ to check which incident he was referring, but nonetheless leaned over to take a look. "Kid got called away, left her lunch unattended," he shrugged, "but her response was the most appropriate reaction in that situation, considering the circumstances."

"She can't relate to her classmates, and it's fully reciprocated. I would have been concerned if she'd tried to confront them herself, but instead, she went and fetched someone who could do it for her," Kouki mused absently. "It was careless, but I don't think it's much of a problem."

"It's gonna be a pain to find a sensei for this kid," Tamuka muttered speculatively, picking up Shiranui Kyo's file for a closer inspection. "Someone who's willing to babysit for a few years, while still capable of making the most of that mind-set." And that wasn't even mentioning what teammates to place her with.

If they weren't careful, she could end up entirely isolated, unable to connect to anyone.

No one wanted an assassin specializing in poisons to end up in that position, for several reasons. Most of which had to do with mental health and the fact that containing someone like that would be a _pain_ if it came to it.

"I'm sure the higher-ups will figure it out," Kouki drawled, seemingly unconcerned. "They've got a few months left to get the last few things in order."

"You were that sure she was gonna graduate early?" Souma asked, slanting the man with a shrewd look.

"Kyo-kun was the youngest in the batch, but she's got a better understanding of the world around her than some kids in your class, Takuma." He shrugged. "Was pretty obvious to me."

"Pity she's small for her age," Tamuka huffed with a frown, glancing over the girl's personal information one last time. "Could do better in taijutsu class, too. Would be a shame if she's killed before she's got a chance to grow into herself."

"Not really our problem, is it? We just teach them to a certain point before handing them over to the next sensei," Souma muttered, rubbing at his side. "Any other issues, or can I get the hell out of here?"

"Go, see your medic," Takuma muttered distractedly, snapping Shiranui Kyo's file shut and tucking it under his arm. "Try and see if they can't fix your temperament while they're at it."

"Like you can fucking talk, asshole," Souma scoffed, but got to his feet and wandered off.


	2. Chapter 2

**These scenes will come in random order, fair warning**

.

Tou-chan always told him to practice, and his classmates made for excellent test dummies.

Inoichi loved it when he learned new things about his friends, even when they hadn't said a word about it. Like Yuu's crippling fear of dogs, due to being bitten in the leg when he was little (he always rubbed the spot when the Inuzuka came too close, whether he brought his dog or not).

There were a lot of interesting people around him, so Inoichi didn't run any risk of suffering from boredom, and tou-chan never had to remind him to practice their Clan techniques.

One of the more interesting people in his class, as of late, was the five year old transfer from a lower class.

Inoichi had heard some _very_ interesting rumours about her poisoning two classmates, but as the story varied depending on who told it, he wasn't sure how reliable it was. And it wasn't like any of the sensei he'd seen talking to the kid had acted like they particularly disliked her, either, so he couldn't be sure.

So when the girl, Kyo-something? walked into their classroom one morning with a disturbingly _off_ look on her face, Inoichi took the chance to approach.

Tou-chan always said his curiosity was one of his biggest issues to work on, but Inoichi didn't see how it was a problem; it made sure he worked on all the tasks tou-chan set him!

"Are you okay?" he asked, because she really didn't look it, and he'd learned very early on that you always got better response if you didn't ask direct questions. It was much better, and easier, to gently guide someone to tell you what you wanted to know of their own volition.

And then the carefully planned out pattern of this conversation was blown out of the water.

"No," she said shortly, barely glancing at him. "But I don't want to talk about it."

Inoichi stared at her, quite honestly stumped.

This had _never_ happened before. Ever.

Either people told him everything he wanted to hear and more when he did this, or they went through some clumsy attempt to redirect the conversation that he usually managed to work his way around anyway.

He'd never just been… shut down, before. With _honesty,_ of all things!

Before he could figure out what to do in this scenario, his mouth continued without additional input.

"Oh, Okay. I don't think we ever met properly; I'm Yamanaka Inoichi," he introduced himself, all the while trying to catch his mind up to his mouth.

He finished it off with a sincere smile, because people always liked when you smiled at them.

The girl stared at him for a long second, as if she was trying to figure him out, or just couldn't understand why he was smiling.

"Shiranui Kyo," she returned shortly when Inoichi was beginning to think she wouldn't say anything.

Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to continue the conversation, because Takuma-sensei walked in right then, and he never tolerated any fooling around.

Inoichi sent the girl, Shiranui Kyo, one last interested look, and then hurried back to his seat.

He'd have to remember to observe her more in the future, because he'd never come across a person who hadn't responded in a predictable way yet that wasn't fascinating, in some way.

Inoichi tilted his head as he considered the issue, not paying even _near_ to as close attention to the lesson as he ought to.

He didn't have any female friends, four years younger or not, and this one actually seemed to have interests other than boys and what sort of clothes made you look the prettiest.

The other girls in their class could be fun to talk to, but… in small doses.

Mind made up, he turned his full attention to what Takuma-sensei was saying, hoping he wouldn't get called out on his lacking focus.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm gonna spam you with these until I've transferred all of them from tumblr :)**

.

"Kyo!"

The familiar voice pulled her attention away from the vegetable stand she was eyeing speculatively; they were running low on fresh greens, and she wasn't sure tou-san would remember to pick some up before he went home today.

"Hello, Inoichi," she greeted back evenly when she turned to the blond, who was grinning brightly at her. Her gaze slid to the two boys on either side of him with idle curiosity. "What're you up to?"

"We just finished running missions, so we're going home," Inoichi sad easily, and taking a closer look, it did seem like the three of them had been on their feet all day.

"Together?" Kyo commented interestedly. Inoichi hadn't said much of anything about his teammates the few times they'd had a chance to meet up over the last few months. "Are you having a sleepover?" Team Six had had their last one just the other week, at Maki's house this time. Much to his mother's delight.

"Uh, no." Inoichi blinked, looking like that didn't belong in the realm of possibilities. "Why would _anyone_ do that?"

"We do it all the time," Kyo said with a small grin. "Though I'm still trying to convince sensei to let us do it at his house," she confessed.

The look on Inoichi's face made her snicker.

"Introduce us," a slow, lazy voice drawled, and the Nara kicked lightly at one of Inoichi's feet.

"You are being slightly rude," the Akimichi beside him chimed in in a mildly apologetic manner, though he didn't do a thing to stop Shikaku from kicking at Inoichi again.

Inoichi scowled at his Nara teammate, before he huffed, crossed his arms over his chest and turned back to Kyo. "Kyo, these are, _unfortunately_ , my teammates; Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Chouza. Guys, this is Shiranui Kyo."

"…we were in the same class," Kyo felt the need to point out.

"Only briefly, and you didn't speak to anyone," Shikaku returned, eyeing her with idle interest.

Kyo stared at him a moment. "Neither did you," she said with a thin smile.

Shikaku blinked, dark eyes sharp and intent for a second, before he seemingly decided the whole thing was too much effort.

"You ended up on the team with Maki and Inuzuka Taku, right?" Chouza asked curiously into the slightly awkward silence.

"You know Maki?" Kyo couldn't help but ask.

"We talked sometimes," Chouza smiled, "and he was always nice to me."

"Are you busy right now?" Inoichi butted back into the conversation before anything else could be said, a vaguely mulish look on his face, that had more to do with his teammates than the situation in general, Kyo was fairly sure.

"No?"

"Wanna come over for dinner? Kaa-san's curious about you, and we haven't had a chance to talk in a while." He gave her a hopeful look. "And you never finished telling me about that flower your mom's taught you about."

"Okay?" Kyo agreed bemusedly, tilting her head. She didn't have anything in particular planned.

The fact that Chouze and Shikaku somehow managed to invite themselves along probably hadn't been on Inoichi's mind when he'd asked her, though it ended up being a very interesting afternoon.

Chouza was kind and had a warm personality, and while Shikaku didn't speak much, he somehow always ended up in the middle of conversations anyway, and seeing how he could tick off Inoichi's temper with just a word or two was surprisingly entertaining.


	4. Chapter 4

"You cannot be serious," Kasai's inflectionless voice said firmly, making Hiruzen slant a brief look up at him.

"I am very serious," he refuted calmly.

"The child is _eight_ ," the man pressed, clearly unamused. "She'll be unable to keep up with the physical demand, if nothing else." He paused. "No matter her lineage or prodigal status."

Hiruzen finally put down the report he'd been looking over, giving his friend his full attention.

He considered him thoughtfully a moment, before he leaned down to rummage through one of his secure desk-drawers.

Kasai caught the scroll he threw at him with thoughtless ease, not taking his eyes off of Hiruzen's face. He knew it, even though he couldn't see it.

"Read it, and tell me you maintain your stance," he challenged calmly.

Kasai stared at him a second longer, before he turned his considerable focus onto the scroll in his hand.

A few minutes passed by, the calm of his office belying the constant activity and work between the walls of this whole building. Never pausing, never resting. Only going through shifts of different people to keep it all up and running smoothly.

"…we're going to have to make some small exceptions," Kasai finally said, lowering the scroll and rolling it up again. Re-sealing it. "Afford her some considerations," he mused.

"It won't be long-term," Hiruzen assured him. "I _want_ her to survive this war," he stated evenly, smoothing a hand over the wooden surface of his desk. "Imagine what we can do with that, given time and the correct training," he added, nodding at the scroll.

"You gave her to Katsurou," Kasai huffed, and Hiruzen was fairly sure he was amused under the seals on his mask.

"I must admit I hadn't expected it to work out, most assuredly not as well as it did, but," he smirked faintly, mostly unamused, "with the later information, it made more sense."

Kasai thought it over a moment. "I'll find her a team, granted she _does_ pass," he decided. "And we'll work something out to make sure she's not sent on any missions that will be beyond her current limitations."

"Better get started on that, then," Hiruzen drawled.

Kasai gave a quiet huff. "Confident, aren't you?" he muttered. "I'm not _handing_ anyone a place on ANBU for no reason."

Hiruzen smiled thinly. "The girl's more than proven herself in my eyes. She's the reason Katsurou's still breathing," he added, knowing just that simple reminder would motivate the man to track down Shiranui Kyo's personal file for a more thorough read in the near future.


	5. Chapter 5

Bear was feeling conflicted.

On one hand, this was hilarious as _fuck_. On the other… these people were supposed to be _professionals_.

And most of all, they were -unfortunately- _his_ people. (His headache.)

"No," he said flatly, trying not to give in to the urge to sigh. Or laugh.

Mouse gave an overdone show of disappointment as she wandered off, hugging herself to pronounce her chest, even through the armour, hips swaying as she slipped passed Wolf. Brushing against him in a playfully seductive manner.

"You wished to speak with me?" Wolf said the moment Bear focused on him.

"You'll get an add-on on your team this time around," he told him flatly, side-eyeing Viper, who was lingering nearby with a far too disinterested air to be anything other than bullshit. "You're patrolling the Ame stretch, so I'm loaning you Scorpion. Team 23 is needed on a mission in Suna, which," he turned his head fractionally in Viper's direction, "means they need another assassin. Why don't you go speak with Owl, _Viper_ , see who we've got to choose from?"

It wasn't a suggestion.

"Sir," came Viper's sullen reply, and he shunshinned off.

"Here's the file," Bear added gruffly, tossing it at Wolf and silently wondering when the hell he'd signed up for this. He wasn't some damn Academy sensei. "Any questions?"

"…uh." Wolf cocked his head, watching him a moment, and then glanced in the direction Mouse had left in. "Several, actually, but none you'd be interested in answering, I believe."

"Go," Bear ordered flatly, twitching one hand in the direction of the door.

Wolf executed a lazy salute and left.

Bear considered the situation a moment, and it wasn't like he didn't understand the appeal; have someone immune to most common poisons on the team to toss at your opponent. That didn't stop him from resolving to throw a kunai at the next person who swung by to _casually_ ask about Scorpion, though.


	6. Chapter 6

"You're sure this will be as great a motivator as you indicated?" Shinzu asked dryly while they watched the children get ready.

"Depends," Katsurou hummed, eyeing his own team intently, before he glanced over Shinzu's brats, too. "On whether Taku manages to talk Kyo into using her needles."

"Will I have to take my team to the hospital before this is over?" Shinzu wondered, muttering the words at the other man along with a wry look.

"Already told her not to be mean." Katsurou smirked over at the other Jounin and then jumped up into one of the trees, Shinzu half a step behind him.

"You ready?" Shinzu called down at the kids, his own team quick to respond in an affirmative.

Taku was still hovering around Kyo with a sharp grin on his face and Katsurou could tell he was pestering her, prodding her insistently in the arm.

"We're ready, too!" Kyo called back, and she already sounded better, more energetic and alive than she had this morning.

No time to lose herself in grief when there was something else to focus on.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Katsurou fired back, and the two Genin teams didn't need anything more.

Taku took off at his opponents like an arrow, Kisaki at his side and Maki half a step behind. Kyo remained further back, quickly getting to higher ground.

It was a good tactic; suited to their abilities.

Shinzu's team, on the other hand, wasn't as quick to act, and Inoichi was visibly frustrated with his Nara teammate.

"He'll come to regret that reluctance to act soon enough," Shinzu murmured from beside him, frowning down at his team.

Katsurou hummed, taking note of how Kisaki had slipped off in a short lull in the match between Taku and Chouza; the results would be interesting to witness. See if Taku's plan would work out.

He could see several uses for it in the field, but that was only if they could manage to pull it off successfully, without major hiccups.

Shinzu gave a soft snort when Inoichi had to dodge a swipe from Maki's wakizashi, only for Kyo to come launching from above. She didn't go for the blond, though, but continued straight at Shikaku, who was forced to dodge a handful of senbon.

What followed was a fairly interesting spectacle of Shikaku trying to catch Kyo with his shadow jutsu.

"Your team is going to be a nightmare in five years," Shinzu muttered at him, clearly amused. "Normal people would be cutting back on the kids."

"That's not gonna help them in the long run," Katsurou drawled back, a smirk stealing over his face when Kisaki burst out of the vegetation to bowl over Chouza and pin Shikaku to the ground, and it was clear Kyo had had him busy enough he hadn't remembered to take the ninken into account.

Taku gave a victorious crow, only for Inoichi to knock him to the ground, darting away to 'free' his teammate.

All activity stopped when Kyo placed a kunai against Shikaku's throat, and she sent a sweet smile at Inoichi, who slumped.

"Well done, brats," Katsurou called down at them. "Regroup and go again!"

"Okay, sensei!" Kyo called back, standing up and darting over to Taku and Maki and dragging them with her to do as ordered, despite Taku's protests about rubbing their victory into the other team's faces.


	7. Chapter 7

Leaning back in the chair, Katsurou carefully considered the situation, weighing his options once again.

A year into being a Jounin sensei, he figured it was high time he addressed an issue he'd been aware of for quite a while.

Katsurou hadn't exactly _planned_ to ever be a sensei, in any capacity of the word, but here he was. With a team. Three brats and a ninken that all looked to him for guidance and advice in all things shinobi. And in some things that weren't quite related to their profession, too.

Taku was surprisingly the easiest of them to handle; he had a good base of skills to build on, came from a good, stable home, and he was quick and resourceful, so long as he didn't have to read.

Maki was diligent and polite, a bit easily offended at present, but that would get better in time. The civilian upbringing was hampering him slightly, but that, too, was getting better.

And then there was the truly troublesome one.

Not that Kyo made a nuisance of herself; quite the contrary. And most people would think it wasn't an issue at all, the things Katsurou was feeling… _concerned_ about.

Then again, most people either saw her age or her prodigal status and little else.

The only question, Katsurou mused, was how to go about this.

There were several avenues open to him, and just as many approaches, but… whatever he decided, he knew it would be crucial. It would set the tone for the rest of his and the girl's relationship.

Postponing it to a later opportunity was also a possibility, he supposed, but… well. Katsurou couldn't deny he was curious.

Because there were several things about his little poison enthusiast that didn't quite add up.

Humming softly to himself, Katsurou glanced around his plain kitchen, the living room through the open doorway and once again considered his options.

Well. Having his home invaded by a small pack of Genin every now and then was far from the worst fate he could imagine for himself.

The little menaces grew on you.

* * *

"What's this about, sensei?" Kyo asked, peering up at him from across the kitchen table. Her face was open and the level of trust she showed towards him was somewhat daunting whenever he stopped to think about it.

"You," he replied, keeping his voice even and calm, still pondering how to best breach the subject.

"Me?" Kyo asked, looking confused. As if she couldn't fathom why anyone would be interested in her.

It almost made him want to smile at the irony.

"You've been my students for a little over a year now," Katsurou said, starting with a simple statement of fact. "I am very good at what I do, and there are some things that just don't quite," he paused, considering his student intently, choosing his words with care, "add up. About you, Kyo."

The look on her face told him many things, none of which were particularly encouraging or positive.

Katsurou idly wondered if he'd have to hurt anyone for having put it there, because someone was clearly responsible.

Full understanding of what it was he was talking about, the girl didn't even attempt to feign ignorance.

Fear.

Apprehension, anxious nervousness. He could list a few more, but they were all in the same vein.

"You're not in trouble, if that's what you're worried about," he continued sedately, bringing his mug to his lips for another sip of tea, doing his best to project calm and reassuring signals. "If that'd been the case, I would've brought you to T&I rather than my house."

The thought of Kyo, small and only seven, in that place threatened to make him scowl.

Now _that_ was not a place for children.

Kyo didn't react much, and kept unnaturally still, as if wanting to avoid any kind of attention. Looking completely frozen.

Instead of pressing her, Katsurou put down his tea and began to talk.

"I'll speak and you'll listen," he said calmly, gaze not leaving the girl in front of him for so much as a second. And he proceeded to list a few of her better qualities; the things she'd been moved up her classes at the Academy for. The reasons why she'd been an early graduate.

Most children would have been pleased at the praise, happy and proud.

Kyo's reaction?

"I'm not a prodigy," she blurted, seemingly without being able to stop herself.

Feeling faintly amused, Katsurou couldn't help but wonder what she'd say if she knew how most people keeping an eye on the new generation spoke of her. The promise she was showing.

"I admit that you're not as intelligent as the Nara heir, for example, but you have something young Shikaku does not," he leaned forward a fraction in his seat, attentively watching for reactions. "You're wise, Kyo. That's very rare for a child your age."

And he had not expected the brief flicker of _bitterness_ across her face.

That was an odd reaction, all things considered.

"Are you sure I'm not in trouble?" she asked, and traces of her earlier fear crept back onto her face.

"You've been my student for a year now, Kyo," he repeated solemnly, meaning every word. "If anyone tries to claim something ridiculous like you're an infiltrated enemy shinobi, they'll have to answer to me, understood?" The girl was an oddity, but she was _open_ and honest in a way that couldn't be faked.

If Katsurou had to break a few limbs and instill an acute fear of death -or worse- in a few idiots to make his Genin feel safe, then so be it.

…Hokage probably should have taken that into consideration before giving him, of all people, a team.

"I figure I died."

The words hang in the air between them a second, and Kyo looked just about as surprised as Katsurou felt.

Then she slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with something like panic.

Katsurou made sure not to shift his posture from the calm, relaxed slump he'd arranged it in, and his expression didn't twitch in the slightest.

He didn't want to frighten her, or make her think he wouldn't hear her out to the end.

"Before I was Kyo," she tentatively added, and the level of _trust_ her actions implicated were staggering.

Katsurou knew for a fact there were people who wouldn't trust him a tenth of a fraction of the amount Kyo was showing without half a dozen contingency plans in place and just as many witnesses present.

"Reincarnation," he said slowly, not letting his thoughts colour his voice. "Very rare, but not entirely unheard of. How much do you remember?" It would certainly explain a lot, if the assumptions Katsurou was making turned out to have even a shred of credibility.

"All of it?" Kyo said, though it sounded more like a question. As if Katsurou's non-reaction had her confused. And then she continued, saying something that made him want to rub at his face, because it _complicated_ things. "Except the last bit; that's still a bit foggy, but I think I know how I died anyway."

This seven year old girl, talking about dying like it was a mere footnote. The implications alone…

"How old were you?" he asked, unable to help himself, because- well, it wasn't every day you came across something like this, even in his line of business. And things were making more and more sense the more he heard.

"Twenty six. Possibly twenty seven," the girl sighed, looking sad.

Katsurou's thoughts stilled.

His seven year old student was mentally older than him.

He almost felt like laughing.

Only is wasn't really funny. Not in the slightest.

He continued to calmly question her, and for every answer, it painted a picture that became more and more clear. Things he'd noticed and noted down making so much sense now it was almost painful.

The more he learned, the more obvious it became that he'd have to try and learn everything he could about this, or it _would_ come back and bite them later. He _needed_ to know what it was he was dealing with, here.

Question was how much he'd have to cajole Kyo into letting him perform a Mind-Walk, entirely of her own volition, because if he fucked this up… his initial assessment would have been a tad off, if he wasn't mistaken.

A child's trust but with an adult's knowledge of what was acceptable and not wasn't anything to take lightly.

And then she went and surprised him by agreeing almost as soon as he asked.

Katsurou stared intently at the girl a long second, but she wasn't afraid anymore. Nervous? Definitely. Frightened? No.

"Let's move this into the living room, then," he said simply, deciding not to question this right now. He could analyze it to bits later, when he was alone, and had gotten a chance to digest things.

"Okay, sensei," Kyo agreed with what felt like far too much ease.

He'd have to talk to her about this, at some point, because if she treated everyone like this, Katsurou didn't want to deal with that headache.

* * *

Talking Kyo through the procedure was easy; he'd done it countless times before. Granted, that was usually different. Less trust involved, and more gritty determination and focus.

Kyo made it all easy, and it helped that she was used to meditate.

Katsurou focused on the issue at hand, and learned a whole lot more than he had perhaps bargained for.

There were a lot of memories to go through.

And the things he learned… everything was making perfect sense now, Katsurou mused idly as he retreated out of his student's head, watching her slowly compose herself again.

An entirely civilian life, but with its own hurdles to overcome. Some larger and more daunting that others.

The parents, though…

Taking a slow, deep breath, Katsurou idly wondered what he'd do with that man had he gotten a chance to get involved.

Probably not anything Kyo would thank him for.

There were certain kinds of people Katsurou would gladly pick apart, limb by limb, and the previous father certainly ticked a lot of boxes.

That the target of his _attention_ had been his student just added a certain something.

And then came the realisation that he'd have to brief the Hokage about this, because it _changed_ things.

Kyo was seven years old, that was entirely true, but she wasn't _just_ a seven year old girl.

If nothing else, she certainly had a unique perspective on a lot of things, and that wasn't even contemplating the very different society her previous self had been brought up in.

The fact that Kyo's main reaction to all of this was to seek assurance that he wouldn't treat her differently was… Katsurou would _really_ like to get his hands on the man that had contributed to Kyo's previous body's conception.


	8. Chapter 8

Gecko was just minding his own damn business, taking care of his share of the administrative duties as a 'senior' ANBU captain.

He was still nursing a grudge against Bear for sticking him with the newbies the last recruitment run.

Going through the list of things he needed to take care of before he could do any of the things he _wanted_ to do, Gecko was abruptly brought up short by quite a… peculiar sight.

Scorpion, their smallest to date and also one of the more interesting newbies, was stomping down the corridor towards him, dripping wet and dragging two other recent additions to ANBU behind her.

Taking a closer look, there was a small cluster of three needles sticking out of each of their shoulders.

….Scorpion's file said she was remarkably even-tempered.

It made Gecko idly curious about what the kiddies had done to piss her off, because they _clearly_ had.

Still, with an image to up-hold, Gecko finally spoke up, taking care to sound sharply unamused, because you couldn't give the kiddies the wrong impression.

"Scorpion? What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, at the same time intensely curious to hear the answer.

"They decided to ruin four hour's worth of work for me," Scorpion told him in a chillingly calm voice, completely at odds with her body-language.

It was unsettling as hell.

Gecko took a second to consider that, and it did explain quite a bit. Judging by the water still dripping off of her onto the floor, it was easy to conclude how they'd gone about it, too.

Crude, but no doubt effective.

…effective in ticking off the tiny poison specialist's temper, too, evidently.

"Are they dead?" he asked, feeling genuinely interested to hear the answer. If they _were_ , that would mean a whole lot of paperwork _and_ an impromptu series of complicated mental health checks for Scorpion that absolutely would not amuse her Yamanaka sensei.

Gecko was not interested in getting on Katsurou's bad side any time soon.

On the other hand, no one would really complain all that much in the long run.

"No. But they'll wish they were when they wake up," Scorpion said dismissively, abruptly dropping her burden to the floor. "Excuse me while I go salvage hours and _hours_ of work now, and I might have to go visit training ground 44 to replenish my stocks after all the poison they just _ruined_ ," she hissed, for the first time letting some of the anger out. "Oh, and I would remove those needles from them, if I were you. And find a medic. Or you can just leave them as is, I don't care," she said blandly, like an after-though, and then left with a shunshin, leaving a swirl of smoke behind.

Gecko tilted his head and considered the two unconscious kiddies in front of him.

Damn. This meant they were his responsibility now, didn't it?

With a put-out sigh, Gecko crouched down to gingerly pull the needles out of them, to start.

"No one ever tell you two not to piss off the poison specialist?" he asked the two teenagers, even though he was well aware they couldn't hear him.

Shaking his head to himself, Gecko surveyed the subtle spectators.

"Dove!" he called, signing a quick order for him to get his ass over here. "Make sure these two morons don't die before I can hunt down Bear." And make all of this _his_ responsibility.

Someone should probably go make sure Scorpion wasn't about to take out her temper on some helpless bystander, too.

Straightening up, Gecko set to it.


	9. Chapter 9

Yamanaka Toge wasn't really suited for mission work and the front lines.

He'd naturally done his part, as was expected, but he was definitely doing more good in the village than out of it.

Didn't change that the last couple of months had been… a little bit more tense and interesting than he was used to.

Katsurou, for all that he was a fellow clan member and a distant cousin, wasn't someone he'd ever been particularly close to.

They'd gone into different branches of shinobi life, pretty much straight after graduation, as far as Toge knew, and hadn't had much reason to spend time together.

And Katsurou kept almost religiously to himself anyway, so it wasn't something he'd ever thought overly much about.

Toge was content enough to share an office with the man, because he knew he was professional and competent, if nothing else. Skilled in their clan techniques. An asset to Konoha.

He'd been perfectly cordial, too. Which helped.

That… _didn't_ change the fact that the first time Toge got a good look at Katsurou's student, he very nearly had a heart-attack.

The child that breezed into their office -a girl, he'd been told- and threw a scroll at Katsurou's face without prompting, only to follow it up by walking around the man's desk like she had every right and not a single bone of self-preservation in her body… to sit in his lap.

Toge was pretty sure he hadn't breathed for a full minute.

Their conversation had been only vaguely enlightening, but for every second that ticked by and nothing disastrous happened, Toge managed to shake off his shock and study the two of them more closely.

He was a couple of years older than Katsurou, and looking at the girl, he couldn't help but compare her to his own daughter. They'd be close to the same age, he was fairly sure.

And seeing Katsurou indulge a child in need of physical comfort and reassurance with familiar ease was… soothing a small part of him that had remained tense in the man's presence.

It was very easy for some people to completely shut down parts of themselves after enough time on active duty. After enough years as a shinobi. Letting go of a part of your humanity that you wouldn't miss until it was already gone, without an easy, clearly defined way of recovering it.

It was nice to see Katsurou hadn't chosen that path for himself.

Admittedly, not many Yamanaka did, but there were _always_ exceptions.

Then the girl left with an ill-tempered but clearly genuine 'I love you, sensei' and Toge wondered if he'd walked into a genjutsu. Somehow.

Maybe one of the Chuunin were practicing in an inappropriate location and he hadn't noticed. He'd need to step up his training out of office hours, clearly.

Sending Katsurou a glance, unable to help the curiosity urging him on, wondering what sort of reaction those words would have, Toge found himself meeting the man's gaze.

There was a moment's silence, where they were studying each other, remaining motionless. Before they both returned to their work.

Perhaps working with Katsurou wouldn't be so bad after all, Toge decided.

Anyone caring for their student to that degree was good in Toge's books, and he curiously wondered if the girl would end up on the same career path as her sensei had.


	10. Chapter 10

Kyo was feeling antsy and half-way bored out of her mind.

She tried not to hold it against her new team, because they'd _just_ graduated from the Academy so this was perfectly natural, but that didn't change the fact that Jiraiya's lessons with them were _extremely_ basic.

Things she could pretty much do in her sleep-basic. Literally.

They hadn't even started on tree-walking yet and Kyo was silently despairing.

It was a relief to be able to don her ANBU uniform and slip off to headquarters in her time off to bleed off some energy.

Hyena was almost always willing to spar with her when he was available, and if not him, then there was usually _someone_ around in either the training halls or training grounds who wouldn't say no to some sparring.

It was just her luck that she couldn't seem to find _any_ of her usual training partners today!

Team 23, minus Kyo, obviously, were on mission. Sparrow wasn't anywhere to be found and everyone was busy.

Huffing unhappily to herself, Kyo considered just… going home. That felt like it would be a better way to spend her time right now than just loitering around here.

She'd swing by the training grounds one more time, and if she didn't see any potential training partners, then she'd go home, she decided, feeling dejected.

One training ground was out straight off, because the security seals were activated and trying to disrupt that was just _stupid_.

One of the other ones were occupied, though.

Kyo took one look at the mask and very nearly turned around and left.

…she really needed to work off all this energy, though.

Frowning at the other ANBU for a moment, Kyo decided to… try. See how this went.

"Hi, wanna spar?" she asked, jumping down to land next to the teen.

Crow turned to take one look at her and said, "Fuck no."

Kyo blinked, tilted her head and felt a spark of annoyance. "Oh, give me a break. You _owe_ me!" she hissed.

She could feel the glower Crow fixed her with, all but searing her skin. "Sparring with someone like _you_ would be a complete and utter waste of time," he scoffed.

"If that's the case, then why are you so reluctant to try?" she challenged.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said, midget? It'd be a waste of time!" Crow huffed irritably.

"That just sounds like you're saying I won't be much of a challenge, and if that's true, then you should have an easy time winning," Kyo snapped, temper fraying thin.

She should really leave, because right now, she was just picking a fight with this idiot.

"I don't wanna hear that from _you_ ," Crow sneered.

Kyo wasn't sure who actually escalated things from a semi-hostile argument to throwing the first punch, but she wasn't exactly complaining.

This _was_ what she had been angling for.

Someone executed a ninjutsu -Kyo thought it might have been her- and things got a little bit out of hand after that.

"You're a fucking _menace_ ," Crow huffed where he was crouched.

Kyo, sitting in puddle of sticky mud, glowered at him. "Shut up," she bit back. As if he had any room to talk!

Both of them were panting with fatigue and Kyo had a plethora of new bruises, but she'd like to think she'd given Crow at least _some_ back.

The training field was a mess, though.

Scooping up a handful of the thick mud she was sitting in, Kyo flung it at Crow, who either didn't notice, or was too tired to react in time.

The sight of it splattered all over his mask was _incredibly satisfying_.

"Oh, that's _really_ mature," Crow growled, reaching for a handful of mud himself.

"Since I'm an immature brat, I figure it was just appropriate," Kyo sniffed condescendingly back, scooping up more mud and scrambling to get to her feet.

It was Crow's fault the training ground had been turned into a mud field, anyway!

…Kyo might have helped, but it was his fault!

A heavy, wet clump of mud hit the back of her head and Kyo made a displeased noise, going after Crow with renewed determination.

Ten minutes later, Crow was busy trying to stop her from rubbing mud into the eye-holes of his mask, because she figured if she _smothered_ him in the stuff, that might just make her feel better.

A mud-smeared hand smacked into her mask and pushed her away from him.

"Will you _fucking stop that!?"_ Crow snarled, reaching up to try and rub away the worst of the mud, only to just succeeding in smearing it out and probably making it worse.

Kyo felt zero regrets.

Only for more mud to smack into her own mask a second later, somehow ending up in her mouth.

"Urgh, that's disgusting," she muttered, trying not to move her tongue. Or accidentally swallow the mud.

Crow laughed at her.

Kyo scowled, ripped her mask off and tossed it aside, bent down to scoop up more mud in the same motion and went after the older boy again.

 _He_ could eat mud!

Half an hour later, they were both sprawled out on the soggy ground, entirely covered in filth and it clearly didn't matter if they rolled around in the stuff now, because it wouldn't make much of a difference.

"You're insufferable," Kyo told him, panting harshly in an attempt to sooth her burning lungs.

"Like you can talk," Crow muttered sourly, though his voice was muffled and near-inaudible due to all the mud Kyo had crammed into his mask.

She sent him smug smirk.

Crow growled something offensive under his breath and reluctantly raised a hand to his face to take off his mask.

He scraped a hand down his face and spat out a mouthful of mud and then leveled her with an _impressive_ glare.

Kyo sat up, stuck her tongue out at him and leaned out of the way of the mud he flicked her way in response.

"'S gonna take fucking forever to get all of this out of my gear," Crow muttered, and his voice sounded different now.

Kyo scoffed. "Same. You're not special," she informed him snootily.

He growled at her, looking like he was contemplating continuing their… spar/mud war.

In the end, he just huffed, turning back to trying to clean the mud off of his mask with sullen determination.

When he was no longer scowling like he wanted to kill her, Kyo took a moment to study his face.

He was very clearly an Uchiha.

"Hey, are you related to Ryota?" she couldn't help but ask, because there was something about the structure of his face that was unnervingly similar.

Crow sneered. "I'm an Uchiha. I'm related to _all_ other Uchiha, _moron."_

Kyo gave him an unimpressed look. "I didn't know you were dumb enough I had to spell it out for you," she said coolly.

Crow grunted sourly, fixing her with a narrow-eyed look. "He's my uncle," he eventually huffed reluctantly.

"Wow," Kyo couldn't help but say, feeling unimaginably unimpressed. "No wonder Ryota hangs out with tou-san so much." And that was definitely a very mean thing to say, but she didn't care.

"Shut the hell up!" Crow snarled, looking incensed. He threw another clump of mud in her direction.

It missed by a long shot, because both of them were exhausted.

They descended into an awkward silence after that, and Kyo couldn't think of anything to say.

She'd poured all of her frustrations into this… fight. And she was completely spent.

She had mud in her hair, in her mouth, she might even have a bit of mud in her eyes… she needed a shower.

"Thanks for the spar," she muttered, rolling to her feet with a grimace.

Urgh, she had mud in places she didn't even want to think about.

She'd have to scrub everything she was currently wearing in an attempt to clean it, too.

"Fuck you," Crow snapped, looking like he was heading home, too.

With one last dismissive look, Kyo located her mask, picked it up and left.

If she happened to keep half an eye out for Crow after that, when things got bad enough she felt like she might just tear her hair out, then that was entirely coincidental.


	11. Chapter 11

Kaimaru had heard about one of the new recruits, but he hadn't actually _believed_ someone would let an eight year old kid into ANBU. Never mind that the brat had managed to get in.

Smelled something fierce of favoritism, if you asked him.

No way this kid had actually gotten in on his own merits.

But Kaimaru didn't think too much about it. He was busy. He had training with his team and missions.

And then Rat asked if he wanted to spar in a free moment, and Kaimaru couldn't see why not.

Him and Rat, thirteen and fourteen respectively, were the youngest ANBU around headquarters, and they'd been hanging out lately. This was as good an opportunity to get a closer look at his skills as any other.

Heading to the training grounds, Rat nudged him and pointed off at one of the fields.

"You've got to be kidding," he scoffed.

Kaimaru looked and could barely hold back a disdainful sneer. This was why children shouldn't be accepted into ANBU.

"Don't you think he's too old to play around?" Rat asked, and there was something speculative about the way he cocked his head.

"Fucking ridiculous," Kaimaru agreed, eyeing the kid sitting off to the side, playing with needles. "That's a damn disgrace," he added, because the rest of them were gonna get a bad reputation for this.

"We should do something," Rat said, which was followed by a short snicker. "Hey, Crow, you any good with water jutsu?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I just learned the water dragon," Rat bragged, and Kaimaru could see where this was headed.

"Want to demonstrate?" he asked with a wicked grin. "It's pretty hot out here."

Rat laughed quietly in agreement and began to go through the hand seals required.

If the kid hadn't even noticed them, then he was clearly not up to par for ANBU anyway.

They were doing him a favour.

Rat finished with the seals and then fired off a small-scale water dragon, drenching the kid and the immediate area around him.

Kaimaru laughed, because the kid looked more like a half-drowned kitten than a shinobi.

"You really shouldn't have done that," an even, monotone voice said, cutting into his and Rat's fun, and Kaimaru turned to eye the kid.

Shit, that mask was creepy; what was the name going with it? Looked insect-like.

Then there were needles in his shoulder and things went first fuzzy and then dark.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he woke up in the hospital, and he really would have preferred unconsciousness a while longer. He felt like absolute shit.


	12. Chapter 12

Jiraiya had known, ever since he read the girl's file, that there were things about Kyo Hiruzen-sensei wasn't telling him, but he hadn't ever thought it to be this. No. Not ANBU.

She was too young to be ANBU. By about a decade, if you'd ask him.

Jiraiya ignored how much sense it made, because _what had sensei been thinking!?_

Kyo was too young- too _little_ to be ANBU!

Ah, Kami damn it all! Then the brat had the nerve to smile at him.

"It's okay, Jiraiya-sensei. This is something I'm actually good at." And then she hesitated a second. "Just, be careful, you two."

Jiraiya was tempted to smack a hand over his face, because she was too young to eye him like that. He was the sensei, damn it!

"Going by the look of that scroll, it's _you_ who need to be careful," he said gravely, instead of grilling her on how damn long she'd been- _when_ had she been recruited? The girl was _ten! "_ I'm expecting you to come back here as soon as possible, Kyo," he finished.

He was gonna grill sensei about this the moment the situation allowed for it.

For now, everyone would be busy enough and then some.

"Sensei, is Kyo really-?" Minato began slowly, hesitantly, still staring at the spot Kyo had disappeared from.

"Not right now, Minato," he sighed, placing a hand on his Genin's shoulder. "Come on, we need to set you up with whoever is in command of the Genin, and then I have things to do, too."

This whole situation stunk to high heaven, and Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder what Iwa had gotten out of it.


	13. Chapter 13

It had been… quite a week.

The invasion, chasing the Iwa bastards away, getting the full briefing on Uzu, _everything_.

Jiraiya had barely had time eat, let alone sleep, but there was a slight lull in the organized madness right now and he gratefully sank down to sit in one of the comfortable couches in the Jounin command center, closing his eyes with a tired sigh.

It would be nice when this thing was over with and they could go back to normal procedures.

A couple of Jounin walked in, and one of them was looking particularly long-suffering.

"I can't believe this crap; there's enough shit to deal with without adding on," Kuroba, Jiraiya was fairly sure his name was, said with a huff, slanting a brief look at his companion. "No idea what the Academy Chuunin are thinking."

"Something up?" Jiraiya asked idly, because it was always good to stay on top of these things, no matter how seemingly trivial.

"Got this right now," Kuroba said unhappily, holding up a familiar scroll for Jiraiya to see. "Who the fuck's got the time for a team?" he added in a mutter.

"You're just bitter about the test," his friend drawled, utterly unsympathetic. "All you have to do is fail them and it's a non-issue." He shrugged.

Kuroba frowned and turned to eye Jiraiya. "What you do with your team?"

Jiraiya blinked at him and shrugged. "Same thing my sensei did. Just told the brats to go for it with intent to kill and things worked themselves out."

Which… now that he thought about it.

So shortly after they had gotten back, it was difficult to forget Kyo, decked out in an ANBU uniform that made her look even smaller than she was, if only because she shouldn't be wearing something like that for another few years.

The girl had been busy with him and the two boys for quite a while now, which meant she must have gotten recruited _before_ that. Shit, how old had she been?

Following that line of thought, completely forgetting about Kuroba and his friend, Jiraiya froze in his seat, thinking over what he'd just told the man.

'Come at me with the intent to kill,' he'd told them. Granted, he'd thought the three of them had been fresh Genin at that point, but Kyo clearly _hadn't_ been.

Instead… shit, had he really told an ANBU assassin with a specialization in poisons to try and kill him?

Jiraiya had to bite back an inappropriate burst of laughter, because, damn, Tsunade had really had the right of it when she'd punched him in the face that time.

He wanted a stiff drink. Or several.

Too bad he didn't have the time. Dragging a hand down his face, he got back up and headed over to Takeshi-oji's office, 'cause break-time was over and shit had to get done.

He'd have to try and get an hour freed up to go visit Kyo again, even if the girl wasn't awake to notice.


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, this is it for now. XD**

.

The kitten had grown so much since he first met her.

You know, since she got big enough to actually have a personality and stuff, because the baby he'd first laid eyes on hadn't really counted, no matter how proud Kou had been.

The little brat was an interesting mix of Kou and Isshun while still managing to be completely herself at the same time.

Fuck if Ryota knew how that worked; he didn't have kids. Had never been good with nee-san's brat, either.

Honestly hadn't ever _planned_ to have kids, but the Elders had to butt into his damn business.

Though kitten had given him some very good advice on that and Ryota couldn't _wait_ to see how the Uchiha Elders would react.

Smirking down at the report he was filling out, Ryota considered the list of conditions and parameters he and his _intended_ were still working through. Aiming to cover as many things as possible before anything was declared and other people would try and get involved.

Ryota was sure Kyo would appreciate the reactions just as much, once he got around to tell her about it.

"The hell are you smirking about?" Mita asked sourly, going through his own pile of reports, because the Military Police _thrived_ on paperwork.

"None of your fucking business," Ryota returned without missing a beat, not looking up from the paper.

Regardless of what they thought of it, Ryota would fullfil the Elders' requirements, if not in the manner they had exactly envisioned. And if they had any complaints about it, then maybe Kyo would be willing to go through with that offer of assassination she'd given him a while back.

If nothing else, it made for a nice thought.


	15. Chapter 15

**So, I found a few more of these ^^**

.

Getting a team hadn't exactly been on Katsurou's mind when he'd received the scroll. He'd been skeptical at first, and then, after taking a look at their files, he'd felt reluctantly intrigued.

Katsurou had been able to see the potential, just reading through those papers, and he'd been curious enough to see if they'd hold up in real life.

Which had led him here.

Katsurou and Shiranui Isshun waited until they heard the kids settle in Kyo's room, the murmur of Maki's voice audible through the door.

"So!" Isshun declared, absently rearranging her baby, which she was currently breastfeeding, gaze resting on Katsurou. "What's your take on my daughter?" she asked with a small, thin smile and assessing eyes.

"She's bright and creative, and might just be mature enough to counteract the boys," he said evenly, leaning back to eye the woman in front of him. "If they come together properly, they can be great."

Isshun hummed, glancing down at her son. "I take it you'd like some information regarding the training she's gotten," she said in a calm but chipper voice that reminded him of her daughter.

"Yes."

"She's been learning about poisons, how to make them, apply them and their effects, as well as ingesting them, for four years," the woman said evenly, slanting a long look at him through her lashes, no doubt to catch his reaction.

Katsurou gave a slow blink, digesting the information. He crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head considerately, unable to stop himself from following that thought further down the line.

"You started when she was two," he mused quietly.

Isshun twitched a shoulder in a faux-casual shrug. "She's very intelligent, and I saw no reason to wait."

Katsurou wondered how complicated it would be to get his hands on Shiranui Isshun's file… Might just check the father, too, while he was at it.

And then there were the parents of the other two brats to consider.

The civilians would be easy enough to assess, but that still left Taku's parents and his older brothers, too.

"What other kinds of lessons have you been teaching her?" he asked, shifting his attention back to the matter at hand, meeting Isshun's gaze head on.

"Everything an assassin have to know to stay alive," she murmured, running her fingers over the downy hair on the infant's head. "She's chakra sensitive, too, at least when it comes to family and the people she cares about," she added with a small twist of the lips, as if she didn't know if that was something she ought to be happy about or not.

After reading Kyo's file, Katsurou was fairly sure he knew what she was thinking about.

"Now that that's out of the way, what plans do you have for my Kyo's future," the assassin in front of him asked with a quick, razor sharp smile. The baby in her arms didn't detract from the unspoken threat in the least and Katsurou felt his lips give the slightest twitch.

If nothing else, his life had gotten far more _interesting_ in the last month.


	16. Chapter 16

Kyo meandered out of the Academy at the end of the day, about a week and a half after the whole Lunch Incident. (Takahiro and Yuu refused to get anywhere _near_ her now.)

"Hey, kitten," a familiar voice greeted, making her grin before she'd so much as looked up.

"Tou-san!" Kyo exclaimed, leaping at her dad and feeling her heart jump with joy when he caught her without hesitation to bring her in to his chest, despite the fact he looked like he'd come here directly from the gates. "You're back!" she added, happily stating the obvious.

"Figured I might take the opportunity to surprise you," Kou told her with a weary smile, absently patting her back a couple of times as he settled her on his hip. "Everything good?"

"Souma-sensei wanted to talk to you," Kyo confessed, remembering abruptly sensei's words after… the Lunch Incident.

"Oh?" tou-san murmured questioningly, though he'd already started off towards the Academy building. "Any particular reason why?"

Kyo squirmed a little. "Maybe two of the other kids in my class were accidentally poisoned," she muttered, embarrassed.

When she chanced a look at Kou, he gave her a sardonic one in return, but Kyo was fairly sure he also looked rather amused. He patted her back again.

Soon enough, Kou knocked on the door to the staff room, and Kyo couldn't help but feel nervous while they waited for someone to answer.

A man Kyo wasn't familiar with opened the door.

"Souma-sensei in there?" tou-san asked evenly, automatically scanning what he could see of the room.

"That's me," Souma-sensei's voice reached them and a second later, the man himself came into view.

He blinked at the two of them a second, and then motioned at them to follow him.

Not even half an hour after class had been let out for the day, Kyo found herself back in her classroom.

"So," Kou prompted, still with Kyo on his hip. "I hear you want to have a word."

"Does your daughter bring toxic substances to class often?" Souma asked, launching straight into the heart of the matter.

"Every day," tou-san returned without missing a beat. "Has been since the start," he added with a slow blink.

Kyo resisted the urge to try and check if he was alright, or if he was going to get angry with her.

Souma glanced at Kyo for a long second, before he frowned contemplatively. "Well, then I guess I can only _request_ ," it was, very clearly, an order, "that she keep a closer eye on any food items she brings and don't leave anything unattended." It was accompanied with a pointed look at Kyo, who couldn't help but grin sheepishly, leaning closer to tou-san.

Kou snorted. "What, some idiot brats ate your lunch?" he asked, clearly amused and perhaps a little bit inappropriately vindictive.

"Possibly," Kyo returned weakly.

"Learned their lesson, then, I hope," he drawled, gazing expectantly at Souma, who gave a disgruntled huff, but inclined his head. "Then I don't see any issue here," tou-san decided, shifting Kyo higher on his hip.

As soon as they were done, tou-san brought them home, and Kyo couldn't help but think that that had been far simpler and less painful than she had imagined.


End file.
